Saturday, November 21, 2009

PROTEST MARCH TO BE HELD IN CLONDALKIN BY CDP/JI/CE WORKERS ON MONDAY 23rd NOVEMBER 2009.
CDP/JI/CE 'savings' needed to pay for the financial bonus to the political 'elite'.

RSF members and supporters were involved in the last protest (Monday, October 19th last) in Clondalkin , Dublin, and will be present again at a second such protest this Monday, 23rd November.

A protest march through Clondalkin Village , to the office of local Fianna Fail elected representative John Curran , will be held on Monday 23rd November 2009, beginning at 3.30pm.
The protest has been organised by Community Development Project groups and will be supported by , amongst others, CDP's, JI and CE workers from Clondalkin and other parts of Dublin. The groups are meeting up at 3.30pm outside the County Council Offices in Clondalkin Village
(facing the Mill Shopping Centre) and will march through the Village to the office of Fianna Fail State Minister John Curran.
It will be loud and colourful -
and serious ; serious, because hundreds of local people , and thousands State-wide, will be affected by the intended closure of the CDP/JI/CE etc programmes , not to mention the 'ripple effect' that losing those community workers will have for local organisations.
THOSE TAKING PART WILL BE MEETING UP AT 3.30pm ON MONDAY 23rd NOVEMBER 2009 OUTSIDE THE COUNTY COUNCIL OFFICES IN CLONDALKIN VILLAGE.
Thanks!
Sharon.






Thursday, November 19, 2009

THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY.......
Twenty-six men were convicted on the word of Harry Kirkpatrick. On their appeal against those convictions could well rest the future of the 'Anglo-Irish Agreement'
('The Hillsborough Treaty')
. Based on a full transcript of the Kirkpatrick trials , the story of how these convictions were obtained shows why the 'Supergrass System' is a pale shadow of justice.
By Derek Dunne. From 'MAGILL' magazine, February 1986.

Five other men were found guilty of 'murder' on the word of Harry Kirkpatrick : at the time of the killing , the area was swarming with plain-clothes RUC men , who would have had information about the killing . Kirkpatrick described the alleged parts played by each of the five men , but his description of the hijacking of a car was wrong and he neglected to mention the taking-over of a house by the 'suspects' .

Kirkpatrick said that Henry McNamee was involved in a robbery , then changed his mind and said he was not involved in that operation. Three men , including a man named McKnight , were convicted of 'attempted murder' , yet McKnight was actually in court on the day of the robbery but British Judge Carswell found that he still could have had time to be involved !

Kirkpatrick claimed that the preparations for another robbery job , this one in Twinbrook , included following a worker home for two weeks , but he was wrong . The woman who was followed and held , and alleged by Kirkpatrick to be opening the Post Office every morning , had only opened the post office for the first time the day prior to the robbery . Kirkpatrick did not name two people 'involved' in that robbery in his earlier statements - he said later that he had "forgot" about them. He denied that the RUC had supplied him with the necessary details during any one of the 117 'visits' they made to him . However , his statements were allowed in 'evidence' even though some of the details he offered were glaringly wrong , and were contradicted by witnesses.......
(MORE LATER).



CIA SLAMS IRISH JUDGE.......
A Dublin District Justice was accused by American embassy intelligence personnel of encouraging left wing agitators and tolerating hostile acts against the United States.......
From 'MAGILL' magazine, 'Christmas Special' 1980.

As might be expected , the files prepared by the CIA 'Emboffs' contained a few names marked for 'special attention' - included were Thomas MacGiolla, Roy Johnston and even Jack Lynch! What might not be expected is marked references to Unionist politician Jean Coulter, and to "...dissident Deputy Joseph Lenehan."

There is one piece of irony in the file that will please those of us who remember all too well the atmosphere of a certain Free State political regime : remember when Conor Cruise O' Brien gave an interview in America in which he said that he was opening a file on letters published in 'The Irish Press' newspaper which he considered subversive ? However , tucked away in a corner of the Mairin de Burca CIA file was a letter published in 'The Irish Press' from Conor Cruise himself.......
(MORE LATER).



THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST HEROIN IN DUBLIN....... The drugs crisis is one of the major problems facing young people in Dublin today. In large areas of the city it has now reached massive proportions , while in the inner city there is estimated to be a higher percentage of drug addicts and drug abusers than in Harlem in New York . But it has been only recently - 5 years after this epidemic began in earnest - that any notice has been paid to the problem. And even now the Free State government has failed to confront the crisis in a meaningful way . Tony Barry of Na Fianna Eireann has been looking at the issues for 'IRIS' magazine.
From 'IRIS' magazine, December 1984.

Tony Barry : " What did the community do to solve the problem ? "

Noel Sillery : " There was a meeting called of the Community Development Association , and on the agenda was the drugs problem . It was the feeling in the meeting hall that everything else on the agenda should be scrapped , and the drugs problem discussed . It started off with that meeting , from which there was a committee elected , separate from the Development Association Committee.

The drugs problem had been here for about twelve months prior to that , but it was gradually getting worse . It had got to the stage where people said 'enough is enough' , when you had addicts lying around the streets , getting sick all over the place , terrorising the old folks and the school kids , and then people realised that their own children were watching what was going on and might copy them. There was one incident here when a young child had actually found a needle and stuck it into herself - she was just copying what she had seen the older people doing.

The first thing we did when the committee was set up was that people started patrolling the flats , and they'd sit down outside the pavilion or by the main road and watch the whole flats complex to see what was going on and to try and stop outside drug addicts coming in to look for the stuff to 'shoot up' .

We also got in touch with the Taxi Federation and asked them to stop bringing addicts to the flats , and they were very helpful to us with that."

(MORE LATER).







Tuesday, November 17, 2009

105th REPUBLICAN SINN FÉIN POBLACHTACH ARD FHEIS : NOVEMBER 14th AND 15th 2009 , DUBLIN - brief report and a few pics.

A section of the crowd voting on a motion.

The 105th Sinn Féin Ard Fheis , at which 112 motions were discussed , debated and argued over , was held on Saturday and Sunday , 14th and 15th November 2009 , in a Dublin hotel. It marked the last Ard Fheis at which Ruairí Ó Brádaigh presided over proceedings as President of the organisation , and also the last Ard Fheis at which Des Dalton (the new RSF President) was 'only' a member of the RSF Ard Chomhairle. Congratulations are due , and were loudly offered, to both men over that weekend , and no-one knows better than Des about the standards that have to be upheld. Ruairí has built-up a tight , secure and disciplined organisation during his years in charge , and without a doubt Des Dalton has a lot to live up to but , also without a doubt , he is more than capable of continuing on from where Ruairí left off.

Ruairí Ó Brádaigh's last RSF Presidential Speech , produced in booklet form , was a much sought-after item at the Ard Fheis , and is required reading for anyone interested in Irish Republicanism.

Starting to take their seats ,waiting for the Ard Fheis to start.

The Ard Fheis itself was a 100% success : such was the numbers of delegates , supporters and visitors in attendance that the smaller hall at the back of the main venue , where the RSF shop was set-up, had to be commandeered to accomodate the crowd -indeed, on more than one occasion the entry corridor was also suggested by the RSF 'Top Table' as a location where the overflow of people could at least find standing space ,which led to a war of words between said 'Table' and the RSF security team: the security people won that particular argument , but only just!
The State political police , the 'Special Branch' , were as expected , out in force , blocking the entry/exit to the hotel itself , and trying , unsuccessfully
(!) , to mingle in the bar and dining areas with the Ard Fheis crowds , but the RSF security teams were, as usual, on top of them at all times. A full report of the proceedings , including details of motions accepted and lost , will be carried in the December 2009 issue of 'Saoirse' , which goes to print on Wednesday the 2nd of that month. We publish a few pics from the weekend with this brief report , and look forward to a more detailed report in the December 'paper.

'Group' photo of most of the 'Top Table'.

Breaking for lunch....

....and coming back after lunch for 'Round Two' !

POW banner on display at the 2009 RSF Ard Fheis.

A typical Ard Fheis session - standing room only!


RSF 2009 Calendar , hundreds of which were sold (€5 each!) over the weekend.

As stated , a more in-depth report , and other (better quality!) photo's will be published in the December 2009 issue of 'Saoirse'. Finally , two of us from this blog were honoured to have been given 'Visitors Passes' for that Ard Fheis , as it was such a momentous occasion , more so than usual , and we left on Sunday afternoon with no doubt but that the new people in place are of such calibre that Irish Republicanism is , again, in safe hands.
Thanks!
Sharon.